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Australian Court issues warrant on German ship's captain
Marine Pollution Bulletin
summer of this year. Cyprus President Dr. George Vassiliou attended the meeting and gave the proposal the government's support. Troodos Shipping is to contribute S100 000 to the initial fund. It is intended that funding for the association should come from shipping companies based on an annual subscription fee for each vessel. The Cypriot shipping register is presently in excess of 2000 ships (21 million gt). With such a size and international scope, backers of the scheme believe it could make a significant impact in reducing marine pollution.
Australian Court Issues Warrant on German Ship's Captain At the end of a three day committal hearing, an Australian Court issued an arrest warrant for a German tanker captain to stand trial with his company for allegedly causing oil pollution to Queensland beaches last August. The owners of the ship, Beilken Gas Lloyd GmbH and the ship's captain, Heinz Rosebrock were charged with releasing an estimated 30 t of oil from the tanker Ben Flor into Moreton Bay in August 1991. Two airline pilots separately testified to seeing an oil slick trailing several kilometres behind a ship which was later identified as the Ben Flor. The prosecution maintained that there was strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that the oil came from the Ben Flor. Apparently the ship was not carrying a cargo of oil, but a crew member told investigators that oil was being transferred between tanks on board the ship about the time the oil spill is alleged to have occurred. Samples of oil collected from two beaches and nearby Bribe Island showed that they were similar, but not necessarily identical to that on board Ben Flor. However, the court was told by the chemist who analysed the oil that the tanker was the most likely source.
Amoco Cadiz Judgment Upheld A Federal Appeals Court in Chicago has upheld and expanded on the judgment that Amoco must pay some $204 million in damages related to the oil spill from the Amoco Cadiz which was wrecked off the Brittany coast in 1978. The company has not yet made a decision whether or not to appeal, but it is believed that they are looking into the enforcement of the court's judgment against Astilleros Espanoles SA (AESA), the Spanish company that built the Amoco Cadiz (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 21, 219). The Appeals Court upheld a previous decision by the District Court that A E S A was jointly and severally liable for the steering gear failure that played a critical role in the disaster. Amoco could seek to recover part or all of the damages from the shipbuilder. The Amoco Cadiz oil spill was the largest shipping oil spill ever, in which almost the whole of her cargo 178
(230 000 t) was lost. The tanker struck rocks off Portsall, Brittany, after drifting rudderless in heavy seas for several days.
North American News US Largest Ever Sewage Spill One of the largest sewage spills ever to take place in the United States occurred on 2 February 1992 when a pipeline fractured off San Diego less than 1000 m from the shore. The broken pipeline is pouring 180 million gallons of sewage effluent a day into the Pacific Ocean into water only 11 m deep. Up to 19 sections of the 3.5 km pipeline separated from each other releasing partly treated sewage from the Point Soma Wastewater Treatment Plant into the ocean. The pipeline normally discharges sewage effluent that has been treated to remove 75% of the solids into relatively deep water of about 70 m depth. However, because the effluent does not undergo a secondary treatment with disinfectants, it still contains viruses and bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal ailments, dysentry, typhoid and hepatitis. Governor Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency following the discovery of the break and four miles of coastline of beach in the area were closed. Other beaches at the entrance to San Diego Bay were also threatened. The break is believed to have been caused by heavy surf during the winter which resulted in shallow sections of the pipe rolling back and forth wearing down its foundation, the pipe finally collapsing under its own weight. The pipe, which is made up of steel and concrete sections is to be repaired by two engineering companies who will use a 600 t barge from Long Beach to sort out the displaced sections and rebuild the foundation. A major problem is that the outfall cannot be closed off since it is the only way the city can dispose of its sewage. The repairs will therefore have to be made while sewage continues to run. It is estimated that spilling will continue for the next two months until the repair can be completed.
Hazardous Chemical Spill off New Jersey A hazardous chemical spill which took place off New Jersey in January will cost at least $4.3 million to cleanup. The spill occurred when mv Santa Clara got into difficulty during a storm off Cape May and 441 drums of arsenic trioxide were lost from the vessel's deck. The ship was en route from New York to Baltimore when the storm struck. In addition to the loss of the arsenic trioxide, about 600 lbs of magnesium phosphide, a fumigant which explodes on contact with water, spilled into the vessel's hold. It was discovered when dockers became ill while unloading the vessel at Charleston. The clean-up in Charleston harbour took a month and the vessel has sailed for Peru. Meanwhile the arsenic cleanup is not over as searchers have found only 100 of the 441 missing drums.
summer of this year. Cyprus President Dr. George Vassiliou attended the meeting and gave the proposal the government's support. Troodos Shipping is to contribute S100 000 to the initial fund. It is intended that funding for the association should come from shipping companies based on an annual subscription fee for each vessel. The Cypriot shipping register is presently in excess of 2000 ships (21 million gt). With such a size and international scope, backers of the scheme believe it could make a significant impact in reducing marine pollution.
Australian Court Issues Warrant on German Ship's Captain At the end of a three day committal hearing, an Australian Court issued an arrest warrant for a German tanker captain to stand trial with his company for allegedly causing oil pollution to Queensland beaches last August. The owners of the ship, Beilken Gas Lloyd GmbH and the ship's captain, Heinz Rosebrock were charged with releasing an estimated 30 t of oil from the tanker Ben Flor into Moreton Bay in August 1991. Two airline pilots separately testified to seeing an oil slick trailing several kilometres behind a ship which was later identified as the Ben Flor. The prosecution maintained that there was strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that the oil came from the Ben Flor. Apparently the ship was not carrying a cargo of oil, but a crew member told investigators that oil was being transferred between tanks on board the ship about the time the oil spill is alleged to have occurred. Samples of oil collected from two beaches and nearby Bribe Island showed that they were similar, but not necessarily identical to that on board Ben Flor. However, the court was told by the chemist who analysed the oil that the tanker was the most likely source.
Amoco Cadiz Judgment Upheld A Federal Appeals Court in Chicago has upheld and expanded on the judgment that Amoco must pay some $204 million in damages related to the oil spill from the Amoco Cadiz which was wrecked off the Brittany coast in 1978. The company has not yet made a decision whether or not to appeal, but it is believed that they are looking into the enforcement of the court's judgment against Astilleros Espanoles SA (AESA), the Spanish company that built the Amoco Cadiz (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 21, 219). The Appeals Court upheld a previous decision by the District Court that A E S A was jointly and severally liable for the steering gear failure that played a critical role in the disaster. Amoco could seek to recover part or all of the damages from the shipbuilder. The Amoco Cadiz oil spill was the largest shipping oil spill ever, in which almost the whole of her cargo 178
(230 000 t) was lost. The tanker struck rocks off Portsall, Brittany, after drifting rudderless in heavy seas for several days.
North American News US Largest Ever Sewage Spill One of the largest sewage spills ever to take place in the United States occurred on 2 February 1992 when a pipeline fractured off San Diego less than 1000 m from the shore. The broken pipeline is pouring 180 million gallons of sewage effluent a day into the Pacific Ocean into water only 11 m deep. Up to 19 sections of the 3.5 km pipeline separated from each other releasing partly treated sewage from the Point Soma Wastewater Treatment Plant into the ocean. The pipeline normally discharges sewage effluent that has been treated to remove 75% of the solids into relatively deep water of about 70 m depth. However, because the effluent does not undergo a secondary treatment with disinfectants, it still contains viruses and bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal ailments, dysentry, typhoid and hepatitis. Governor Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency following the discovery of the break and four miles of coastline of beach in the area were closed. Other beaches at the entrance to San Diego Bay were also threatened. The break is believed to have been caused by heavy surf during the winter which resulted in shallow sections of the pipe rolling back and forth wearing down its foundation, the pipe finally collapsing under its own weight. The pipe, which is made up of steel and concrete sections is to be repaired by two engineering companies who will use a 600 t barge from Long Beach to sort out the displaced sections and rebuild the foundation. A major problem is that the outfall cannot be closed off since it is the only way the city can dispose of its sewage. The repairs will therefore have to be made while sewage continues to run. It is estimated that spilling will continue for the next two months until the repair can be completed.
Hazardous Chemical Spill off New Jersey A hazardous chemical spill which took place off New Jersey in January will cost at least $4.3 million to cleanup. The spill occurred when mv Santa Clara got into difficulty during a storm off Cape May and 441 drums of arsenic trioxide were lost from the vessel's deck. The ship was en route from New York to Baltimore when the storm struck. In addition to the loss of the arsenic trioxide, about 600 lbs of magnesium phosphide, a fumigant which explodes on contact with water, spilled into the vessel's hold. It was discovered when dockers became ill while unloading the vessel at Charleston. The clean-up in Charleston harbour took a month and the vessel has sailed for Peru. Meanwhile the arsenic cleanup is not over as searchers have found only 100 of the 441 missing drums.